Territory
by St.Alya
Summary: Between his mother's talk of wedding and Fili's apparent interest on an unknown dwarf, Kili is doing everything he can to protect his territory.
1. The Contestants

**Sooo good to be back with new stuff. I hope that you guys like it.**

**The story in whole is not very structured and I just went along with what came into my mind. I was not going to post like this originally, but, the new trailer gave me a little enthusiasm **

**I haven't written in English for some time, so please forgive my grammar mistakes.**

**xxx**

Territory

Chapter 1 – The Contestants

Kili had not been through with his fourth mug of ale when his mother pulled him aside. His first reaction was to frown, since his throat was too busy with the liquid, but Dis was not looking at him as she dragged him to corner. Great. What had he done wrong now? It was probably two days since he had participated in some mischief, unless Fili had been acting on his own and now his mother was putting the blame on him.

When he opened his mouth to protest against whatever unfairness might come his way, though, his mother turned to him with a strange glow in her brown eyes.

"I need your help, son."

Well, that was certainly surprising. His mother very rarely turned to him to ask for help. She was a stubborn, independent, royal lady, she didn't need her sons to do anything for her - unless she was feeling like punishing them for something, which Kili was sure that would be terribly unfair now because he has done nothing wrong tonight, yet. Then he looked at her face, very alike Fili's in features but with the brown eyes that Kili had inherited, and it hit him. Punishment apart, his mother only turned to one of her sons for help when it concerned the other son.

"Is something wrong with Fili?" he asked immediately, his eyes turning to the crowd to look for him. The blonde was in a corner, laughing with Nori and Bofur. He seemed content enough, if not standing a little too close to Nori for Kili's liking, but that was hardly his duty to point out.

"Why would there be something wrong with Fili?"

"Because you're asking me to help. The last time you asked me help it was because you needed to convince him to assume leadership over a section of constructing mines in Ered Luin, which I am not doing again, by the way. Erebor has just received hundreds of dwarves capable of doing that." Kili said, raising an eyebrow at her. He remembered all too well the consequences of the little favor he had done to his mother. Fili ended up having to spend months barely sleeping in the house, and Kili was denied the constant presence of his brother for a very long time. Not to mention all the dwarves that suddenly noticed him because of his good job. And Fili was _still_ standing too close to Nori.

"It's none of that." his mother waved at him, but a conspiratorial smile took her lips "It's just that you know Fili better than anyone, you know his taste."

"Yes…" where his mother was going with that?

"And now that your uncle is King Under the Mountain, we need to find a good wife for his first heir." she said, still smiling too much "Take a look on the group of four dwarf ladies standing by the pillar behind me, they are all from good families. I was thinking you could point out from me the one your brother would like the most."

Kili went into a coughing fit. "What?!"

Really?! Did his mother want—did she expect him to—a wife?! A bloody _wife_?! No! Not in a million years. Not even if the dwarf race depended on Fili's marriage to go on. _Never_.

"Well, it's about time to get him married. Strong kingdoms must have strong lineages." She said and looked pointedly at him "And that goes for you, too. As soon as your brother is engaged I plan on finding you some lovely lass as well."

"Wow, mother, one attack at a time, please." Kili answered, recovering from his coughing and still too shocked at the prospect of seeing Fili with a girl attached at his arm to properly register that the same fate was going to be imposed on him "Don't you think he is still young?"

"Nonsense! So was I when I married your father. Besides, perhaps being responsible for a wife and some children might bring some much needed maturity to you and your brother."

"Hey!"

"Now, shush and _look_ at them." She pointed the dwarf ladies with her head "See the one on the left? She is Dain's cousin thrice removed from his mother side. Her father is a rich miner in the Iron Hills and they would be a good asset to our rebuilding kingdom. Niara is her name."

What exactly had he done to deserve this? Didn't he already have competition _enough_? Between exceedingly bold Nori, all dwarf girls from Ered Luin and being Fili's _brother_, why did Kili had to help his mother chose a bride to his beloved?

He couldn't help but glare at the small group of contestants. No, he could not see anything good in _any_ of them.

"_Niara_? What sort of elvish name is that?" it sort of came out from his mouth before he could think and that earned a small slap on the wrist from his mother.

"_Kili_. Niara is a common dwarf name and you know that. Now take a good look and tell me what you think of her. Do you think Fili would like her?"

Kili sighed and took a sip from his ale, frowning in this Niara girl direction. Common was indeed a good word to describe her. Common brown hair, common dwarvish face and heigh, common clothes and braids. Common girl. Regular dwarf. _Boring_. There was no way Kili would let his mother bring a woman like this to be his sister-in-law.

"I doubt Fili would spend more than a second looking at her. She is too common. Too boring. If they were a couple, she would disappear completely by his side. Just look at that hair, mother. And the way she stands while talking, pointing out things in her dress like this? I bet she is talking about how it was sewed. Can you picture my brother sustaining this kind of conversation without getting asleep in the first minute?"

"_Oh_, Kili, women talk about these things. But, I see your point. Fili would outshine her, no doubt. A Princess must not disappear by her husband side… Well, look at the girl by her side then. Tari, she is sister to one of Dain's bravest warlords. She is beautiful, isn't she?"

He looked at this other girl. She was indeed beautiful and Kili agreed that she might have caught Fili's eye if he had been interested in finding a wife. However, there was one problem that he immediately recognized (and was immensely thankful for, mind you). She was _loud_. Not normal dwarf loud. She was loud _loud_, high pitched loud. Their group of women started laughing at something that one of them had said and Tari's irritating laughter resonated through the whole room.

Kili cringed at the sound. He would hate to hear that every time Fili told a joke. Instinctively, he searched for his brother and, coincidence or not, the blonde was looking at him. They both shared a mocking look and relief flooded his body. Fili too would never stand that girl around.

When his brother turned to Bofur to no doubt joke about it, Kili turned to his mother and saw that she had observed the whole exchange. "Well, there is your answer about this Tari girl, directly from your elder son."

Grinning at his mother dissatisfaction, Kili waited for her to point the next option. He was feeling more confident now that he could prevent them from awful women. One by one, he would get rid of them all.

"Well, I suppose Thorin would not be too happy about this… characteristic, either. So, watch that girl on the right, with the red dress, Rana. Her family is not from noble birth, but they are very rich and she is said to be the most beautiful dwarf woman in the Iron Hills."

That one proved to be a challenge. Kili watched her with sharp eyes, as if she was a prey to bring down with one of his arrows. Red hair, stubby nose, stout body and regal posture. Indeed Rana would make a fine princess. Not annoyingly loud and the bright glow in her eyes made clear that she was not boring. For a wild moment, he wondered if this was it. There was not a flaw in sight.

Until Dain's son walked past the group, that is. For everyone else, it looked simply that he was saying hello to the women of his father's court, but Kili saw. He saw how Rana's eyes nearly flared at the sight of her prince and he saw the subtle brush of hands as the dwarf walked past the group of women.

"Well, mother, she is good enough, I agree. But I don't think it would be wise to steal to our house the woman that Thorin Stonehelm is in love with."

"What?"

"Didn't you see their hands touching? Look, even now, she is watching him circle around. I'm sure they will meet in private after this feast is over."

Dis spent a few minutes observing them and slowly nodded her head. "Well, Mahal bless those archer eyes of yours, Kili. If it hadn't been for Dain I have no idea what would have become of us, we better not get in trouble with their family."

His archer eyes were not doing anything about Nori placing a hand on Fili's arm, but Kili said nothing and tried not to glare at anyone. One thing at a time. First, eliminate the very real possibility of a wife and then deal with exceedingly bold dwarves that did not know their rightful places.

He was sure that Fili, being Fili – ever the distracted one, had not noticed the gleam in Nori's eyes. No problem, Kili was there to protect his territory. All he had to do first was to make his mother understand that there was no living women that was good enough for his brother.

"That leaves us with the last girl, then. I decided to point her last because I feared she might actually be the one you approve."

"What do you mean?" It was not likely that Kili would ever approve of someone to marry Fili, nonetheless his mother's words caught his attention.

"Mys is Tari's younger sister. She is not a lady at all, mind you, and perhaps this is exactly the kind of woman that would get your brother's attention. She fights in battles and hunts as fine as any dwarf male. She even participated the battle for the mountain. I've been told she uses a full armor and wields two war hammers. Apparently you can't even tell that she is a woman when she is fighting."

Kili looked at that last girl under a new light. He had not even noticed that she was there in the first place, but now he could see what his mother was talking about. Mys was short and bulky, her hands were calloused by the use of weapons and she wore heavy boots beneath her party dress. On her arm there was a light burn – the kind you got when fixing hammers in the forge. He had not seen her fight, but judging from her weight and from the fact that she had survived the battle, Mys might actually be able to face Fili in combat. And there she was, Kili's worst enemy. Battle skills, forgery knowledge and worst of all, mocking eyes.

As he observed the four women talking, he noticed that while she remained quiet during most of the conversation, her eyes glowed with sarcasm. She was silently mocking the other women because of their silly business.

"The Iron Hills dwarves call her Mys Laughing-Hammer, something to do with laughing during battle."

From her displeased voice, Kili could tell that she did not approve at all of Mys as a bride to Fili. But he could also tell that she knew that if there was a woman that could get Fili to notice her, it was Mys Laughing-Hammer. It was apparently a perfect match. Fili had even been called the Laughing-Sword for a time when they were learning how to fight, before Thorin scolded him about how Durin's heirs could not look like fools in the battlefield.

"She is not exactly Princess material, but… Balin and I can shape a diamond out of her, I'm sure. And I suppose Thorin would approve of a princess with battle skills. It is worthy of our line, after all. I threw some axes in my time, as well."

Kili's blood boiled.

"No."

His mother looked at him, confused.

"No?"

"_No._" he said trying his best not to look murderous "She is not good enough."

"How come? From what I've gathered she is a bright woman that can fight better than most men. She seems to be perfect for your brother."

"She is _not_." He insisted "She is ugly, to begin with. And many people can fight, but you don't see Fili taking any interest in them. _And_, what is this nonsense of Laughing-Hammer? It is unbecoming of the Line of Durin to act like fools during battle, Thorin said so himself."

"I don't know, Kili… I think your brother might like her."

"I think he might not. I'm telling you mother, she is not good enough." Part of him noticed the despair starting to leak through his voice, and Kili prayed that his mother had not caught on to it.

She looked at him half annoyed and half amused. "By your standards then, no one is good enough for your brother."

Kili gulped. This was essentially the truth; he just wished his mother didn't have that suspicion in her voice. It was usually rather obvious that Kili hated the idea of having to share his brother, but until that moment, no one had caught on to that this was more than brotherly protectiveness.

"Only the best to the House of Durin." He offered.

He could only hope that his mother had not understood his true motivation.

"Well, Kili, thank you for your assistance. I will talk to your uncle about your opinion." She said after a good while watching him like a bloody hawk.

"You do that." He nodded, sipping his ale while trying to look calm and cool.

His mother gave him one last look before turning to go. She headed straight towards Balin, so Kili guessed she was not going to tell Thorin right away about his weird behavior. Of course, it could have been worse, but this was not something that he would like to repeat anytime soon.

Kili was so relieved to be free from her scrutiny, that he did not notice the blonde figure approaching him.

"What were you and mother conspiring about?"

**Xxx**

**I love the idea of Kili trying to keep his brother all to himself XD**

**Thank you for reading and please read the next chapter :D**


	2. The Guessing Game

**Well, here is the second part. It's a bit longer than the first part. In reality, I just posted it in two chapters to make the reading easier.**

**I hope it's enjoyable!**

**xxx**

Chapter 2 – The Guessing Game

Startled, he spilled the rest of his ale on the floor. In his current state, though, Kili did not mind much. At least Fili was there with him now and there was no Nori putting his hands where he should not.

"Wow, calm down. Why so jumpy?" Fili looked at him with wondering eyes

"Oh, nothing. Just mother and her crazy ideas." He cleared his throat and tried not to glare at the group of girls they had been previously watching.

"Hm. I figured she might have been bothering you with something. I saw you two talking very enthusiastically about those four girls over there." Now it was Fili who looked suspicious of him "She is not trying to get you married, is she?"

Kili must rectify himself about his brother. Fili might be distracted, but only when concerning himself. When it was about Kili, Fili saw everything. He tried not to feel stupidly warm because of this.

"No, not at all." He answered, thinking of a good way to tell him that their mother was trying to get _Fili_ married, not him. For the moment, at least.

"Oh. Good." Fili answered firmly, looking sideways at those four girls.

"Good?" Now, where had that come from?

"Yes, good." Fili repeated. "None of those girls are good enough for you."

"Oh." Suddenly his body was a lost cause, it was warm all over and there was this alarming hope spreading everywhere, against Kili's best efforts.

"I mean, from left to right are standing there Boring Brown Head, Annoying Laughter, Love Affair with Dain's Son and Miss Ugly Hammer." Fili whispered to him in his conspiratorial manner "I dreaded to think mother was trying to impose you with one of those girls."

His immediate reaction was to burst out laughing and Fili joined him. See? This was a good sounding laughter, rich with the undertones in Fili's voice.

"Well, I'm glad you think that way, brother, because I just spent the last minutes trying to convince mother that none of those were good enough for _you_."

"Oh, you don't say." Fili looked at him with this strange glow in his eyes and Kili had to concentrate hard to stay focused.

"She is actually trying to get _you_ married, my brother."

Fili scoffed and brought his mug of ale to his lips "I don't see that happening."

"But don't worry, I defended your honor. I pointed out all the reasons for which you would not be pleased with any of them." Kili grinned, too happy to hear that Fili didn't want a wife.

"My savior." Fili smirked behind his ale.

"Of course, since I was busy here on this front, I could do nothing about Nori all over you. But you did not seem to mind him that much." Kili knew he was not being exactly fair, since Fili probably had not noticed the special attention he had received. But jealousy is jealousy and Kili is as possessive as any dwarf.

"What? Nori, really? I thought he was just overly drunk." Fili looked at him with wide eyes. Trust him not to notice these things "I guess I was too caught up in watching you and mother."

Kili laughed to hide the blush that rose to his face. "How can you be so naïve about this kind of thing? Nori was nearly _drooling_ all over you."

"Well, look who is talking." Fili rolled his eyes and looked to the side, seeming to be embarrassed.

"What do you mean?"

"Nothing." It was not nothing, Kili could tell.

"_Fili_."

"Nothing, really."

"Yeah, right. Is someone looking at me with second intentions?"

This time, Fili did not deny. He just sighed and looked at him exasperated. "_Yes._"

Well, that was unexpected.

"Who is it?!"

Fili looked at him as if he was blind. "Kili, you can't be serious. Aren't you supposed to have the eyes of a hawk?"

"Well, I do. I see everything that I want to."

"And isn't that the worst kind of blind? The one who doesn't want to see." Fili looked at him from the corner of his eyes, something strange about his stance, as if he was tense. Perhaps it was someone who he didn't like?

Kili laughed. It really didn't matter. It was not as if he had eyes for someone other than his brother.

"So, is the person beautiful?" he smirked. He might as well get some fun out of this. Whatever Fili thought of said person was bound to make him laugh.

"Beautiful… Not quite the word I would use… but I suppose, in a way…" Fili trailed, thinking about something before he went on "I think depends on your taste, but handsome is the word I'd use."

That too was unexpected. First, if Fili thought the person was handsome, then he didn't dislike the person. Second, handsome meant that it was a male, not female. It's not like males had never looked Kili's way before, it was just after a while people in general had altogether stopped coming at him with that kind of intention. He didn't really care, none of them was Fili, after all.

"I see… But handsomeness is not everything, is it? Is he any good at fighting?" Kili went on with their little charade. Perhaps it was one of Fili's friends? He doubted anyone else would get a 'handsome' out of Fili if not one of his few friends.

This time Fili smirked. "He is nothing like _Dwalin_, granted, but he fights better than you."

"What?!" Come on! Since when did Fili compare him with other dwarves? "What weapon does he use?!"

Fili smirk just got bigger "Depends on his mood."

Kili scowled "Is he better than _you_, then?"

"Hm, that's an interesting question. I don't know the answer to that." Fili put a finger on his chin, mock thinking of an answer.

"Oh, but you know that he is better than me? This one must be a really good friend of yours." Fili just laughed and Kili punched his arm weakly "Is he any smart?"

"I'd say he is a little more intelligent than your average dwarf."

"Oh. So let's see. Handsome, battle skilled and smart. Sounds like quite the prize." Kili said, walking around Fili "In fact, sounds like _you_ admire him quite a lot. Perhaps you have not told me who he is so you can have a shot at him."

Fili laughed again "Nah. I'd never steal your conquests, brother dear. And I dare say that he has eyes for no one else. He is all yours."

The simple honesty in Fili's voice caught him by surprise. As his brother smiled at him, it really seemed as if Fili approved of whoever it was that had their attentions focused on Kili. It was strange that there was someone who could get Fili's blessing like that. Not to mention disappointing.

Fili had always been the over-protective and jealous kind of brother, as his comments on the four girls had demonstrated. In parties, he tended to scare away whoever approached Kili with silly hands and wandering looks. And this had always made Kili feel special. Made easier to pretended that he and Fili were of the same mind when concerning their romantic future – or lack of one.

He had never been aware that there was a dwarf out there who would both be interested in him _and_ be of Fili's taste. Kili more or less thought that even if Fili never saw him as something other than a brother, he would at least make of him something special that no one could ever reach.

"Why hasn't he come to me, then, if he is so smitten by my loveliness?" It was a valid question, and perhaps Kili's curiosity had been picked by this person who apparently Fili knew so well.

"He is afraid of uncle. And of mother. And Dwalin and Balin, Oin, Gloin, Gimli and probably of the rest of the company too." Fili answered with a somewhat distant look.

"Not of you?" It's not like Kili could judge this fellow. Their family could be scary. Courting a prince is not something people do every day.

"A bit, I guess. He knows I won't allow anyone to hurt you." Fili answered, looking right into his eyes "And for that matter, I suppose he is also afraid of you. Of what you'd think about him."

"Hn. He will never know if he doesn't talk to me."

"Do you want him to?" Fili graced him with an analytic stare.

Kili shrugged. He doubted he would think much of anyone else that wasn't Fili, but that didn't mean he would be cruel. "I'm not exactly looking for a partner right now." He never would be, he supposed "But it's not like I would kill him on sight. I'm a very nice dwarf. At least, I could offer him my friendship."

To that, Fili chuckled and waved his head "Both a blessing and a curse."

"What do you mean?"

"You have no idea of what you do to people, have you?"

"Erm… no?"

Fili watched him for a while before he said anything. Kili was getting more and more confused by his brother's behavior.

"It's not easy, you know, to have an in between with you. You are… you are too much and people can't get enough, and then they leave." Fili said, his look faraway all of a sudden "Why do you think we have so few friends our age? Because most dwarves that grew up with us fell in love with you and they could not stand not having you."

That left Kili speechless. He honestly never knew about this, too engrossed in his sibling to notice anything else that was not related to him. His whole life, he had seen people falling in love with his brother – who wouldn't? – and none of them had been noticed, because Fili's attention had never been on the romantic side of things. But he had never thought that the same could occur to him. Why would someone fall for Kili when Fili was right there? It didn't make sense.

"It… it's not intentional…" he said weakly in his defense.

Fili offered him a small smile. "I know. They know. It's nobody's fault."

They remained quiet for a while; Kili feeling bad for whatever it was that he had did to people and Fili looking everywhere but at him, clearly awkward.

"Are you at least going to tell me who is this friend of yours?" If anything, Kili was curious. He doubted that any dwarf in existence would be as interesting as his brother was, then again, this person must be at least a little interesting to earn a compliment from Fili. Besides… just because said person was head over heels for Kili did not mean that Fili was not head over heels for this mysterious individual.

It did not go unnoticed that Fili had expertly avoided the matter of his interest about the person. Death and permanent separations apart, this was probably the only scenario that would be worse than Fili loving someone else, Fili loving someone that loved Kili instead.

His brother, unaware of his troubled mind, only chuckled again "You really have no idea who I'm talking about, have you?"

Kili shook his head. Well, he was sorry if he was too worried about bringing unhappiness to his most important person in the world to be able to discover the identity of one of his admires.

Fili regarded him apparently considering if he should say something or not. "Try to guess."

He had absolutely no idea of where his brother was going with that, but Kili decided that Fili must really want him to know this person otherwise he would have already left the matter alone. It was very strange, not to mention bothersome – come on, he had just spent the last moment trying to convince their mother that Fili should not get married, why on Middle-Earth was his brother being so insistent about Kili's secret admirer?

Yet, the possibility of Fili actually being in love with this dwarf was too scary to make him pry more at the moment about his reasons, so he just went along with it.

"Is he tall?" he spat the first question that showed up in his mind.

Fili smirked and a weird fond glow appeared on his clear eyes – one that made Kili's blood rush with familiar jealousy. "He is not as tall as _you_, but he is not short either."

Kili tried to not frown. Fili had always complimented _him_ on his height, but apparently being tall was not a distinctive feature in his brother's interests in a partner. "Hn. Is he any fun?"

Again, the most bothersome look of fondness took over Fili's features "He likes to think he is, I think. But he has already filled many rooms and feasts with laughter."

Kili raked his memory for a dwarf that could do this. Granted, it was relatively easy to make dwarf gatherings laugh, but in general few people were known to cause this. The only ones he could think of, though, were Fili and himself, but this might also be just because he never noticed anyone else.

"Do I know him?" he probably did, unless it was one of those dwarves that had worked with Fili in the mines during that terrible time when they barely saw each other.

"Oh, you do."

The sureness in Fili's voice made him feel a little stupid for a few seconds. How on Middle-Earth Kili could not see that a dwarf who he knew and had those characteristics was in love with him?

"Are you pranking me?" he looked at Fili from the corner of his eyes, waiting to see his reaction.

"This is not something to be joked about." Fili rolled his eyes, but his face was dead serious.

"True." It made Kili feel warm to know that Fili is sensible in this aspect. It made him feel secure that if he ends up being completely honest Fili will not flip out and hate him because of his feelings. So he went on with random questions "Well… is he good in drinking games?"

"He can beat you easy enough."

Kili punched his arm and Fili laughed. They started to walk and talk, keeping up with the little charade game and slowly drifting away from the party.

He did not keep track of how long this proceeded, but at some point Kili discovered that he and Fili had ended up wandering through the mountain and now were standing alone upon one of the few balconies of Erebor. He also discovered that this dwarf might actually be an interesting fellow. And he is sure that Fili must be in love with this person. How else would he know so much?

"Do you want to give up?" Fili asks at some point, leaning against the stone, his face contrasting against the night sky.

"If I do, will you tell me who he is?"

"No." Fili smirked.

"Then I don't."

Now it was his brother's turn to watch him looking for something. "You've never had any interest in these matters before. Why are you so curious? Are you looking for a partner?"

"No!" It was only when he saw Fili's startled eyes that Kili noticed the desperation in his voice, yet for some reason more words spilled out from him "No, I'm not looking for a partner. In fact, don't think I ever will."

"Why?"

And there you have it, the question Kili could not answer aloud. How could he tell his brother that the only partner he wanted was already in front of him and shared the same blood?

Looking around, trying desperately to find a suitable answer, Kili ended up rambling. "Oh, you know… the-the Mountain and, of course, the Company. I mean, gold and kingdom and you… you and mother and uncle and… and family. I guess… I guess I kind of already have what I need."

He is not sure if this is enough to make the inquisitiveness in Fili's eyes go away, but Kili catches the fast blink of hope in there. Does Fili think this is his chance with his friend? Kili's blood boils and he almost says exactly what-with-who he needs. One of these days he will end up claiming his own brother if he is not careful…

"But, don't you want… more?" Of course Fili would insist. Fili wins stubbornness contests wherever he goes.

"Yes." Kili answers despite himself. Just because he can't say the whole truth he is not going to start lying to his sibling.

"But—"

"But we can't have all that we want." He finishes and looks away, trying to hide the things he wanted.

"If there is one dwarf that can have everything he wants, that is you brother."

There is sudden sadness and longing in Fili's voice and that should have warned Kili to be careful, but suddenly this is all too much for him because he _can't_. He can't have the one he wants and Fili, of all people, has no right to say those things to him.

It was not his fault that his brother was in love with someone that is in love with Kili. It was definitely not his fault that Kili was in love with Fili.

So he snaps.

"No! I can't have the things I want, so just get rid of this melancholy. It's not my fault that this person likes me, okay? I did not ask for it."

"What did you just say?" now Fili is looking at him as if he was crazy. Well, he probably is.

"I said that I have no interest in this dwarf! You can have him all to yourself, whoever he is. Go and get him and—"

"Kili—Kili! What nonsense is this?!"

"This is _you_ in love with this bloody dwarf that I want to kill right now! So just go on, tell him your feelings and I'll inform mother to stop looking for a bride. I never had any intention of stealing this from you!" The thing about Kili when gets angry, is that he starts to ramble aimlessly in his words "You cannot blame me for this!"

"Kili, I don't—"

"I expected more of you, you know? I expected that you would go after everything you wanted. This is so disappointing! And it's so unfair of you to make me feel bad because of this! You are the one that can have everything you want. You are… you are the heir. Do you know how many people would like to get a piece of you?!"

"Kili."

"And you don't have to sacrifice everything for me just because you're my older brother. I mean, we all knew this day would come, right? We always knew that someday you would find someone who you love more than you love me! So just stop being the perfect brother and find your own damn happiness!"

"_Shut up_." The thing about Fili when he gets angry, is that he has this low menacing voice that is actually the only thing that can make Kili stop his rambling. "Just _shut up_."

It is only then that Kili can see the storm rising in the usual clear sky that are his brother's eyes. He had hurt him. A sick feeling started to spread through his stomach as he feared whatever Fili was going to say next. This could not be it! This could not be the moment they had a big permanent fight, not when their mother was planning a marriage and wanted to take his brother away!

"Do you know how unfair you are being? And so BLOODY _STUPID_!" Fili seemed divided between hurt and anger and Kili couldn't tell what was worse "How can you even doubt that there is someone that I could love more than I love you?"

Okay, this a weird feeling. Kili never knew one could be so afraid and so warm at the same time. His heart beating had never been more erratic.

"I don't blame you for anything and I most definitely am not in love with someone who is in love with you. As a matter of the fact, there are quite a lot of dwarves who love you from afar and I absolutely _loathe_ and _hate_ every single one of them!" Fili is furious now, but all that Kili can hear is the jealousy dripping out of his words and he is probably more hopeful than he should be in this situation "Why do you think no one has never approached you romantically?! People get nervous around you, certainly, but I also make sure get rid of the ones who would be brave enough to go to you!

"Then… then what—who…"

"It's _me_ you air-head! It's me I have been talking about the whole time! Now I'm sorry if I have disappointed you so much because I was afraid to romantically pursuit an incestuous relationship with my little brother!" Fili turned his back then "As if you're one to talk. I hardly see you going after whoever it is you clearly want."

"Not true." Kili says all of a sudden. He has to take a shot, right? If the person you love says he wanted to pursuit a romantical relationship with you, you _have_ to take shot.

"Oh, yeah, how come? I've never seen it, so don't give me this shit." Fili turns to him again with bitterness on his features.

"You'll see it now."

Kili feels like there is an immense and angry ocean in front of him, yet he dives anyway.

He moves quickly before his brother turn away again and jump on him. He throws his arms around Fili's neck and prays with all hope that he is not mistaken as he bring their lips together. He is so desperate for this to be true, that it takes a while for him to feel all the different sensations that the act brought. Fili's familiar body heat pressed so close, Fili's scent mixed with burnt meat and ale, Fili's beard tickling his face, Fili's arms surrounding his waist tightly, Fili's lips moving along with his own…

When it finally sank in that his brother was actually kissing him back, Kili was already lost and gone into it. Completely intoxicated.

It was angry at first, all the frustration of the previous brief fight controlling their moves. Then there were un-coordinated whispers of apologies and suddenly Kili lost all notion of time and space. He barely registered the hard surface that he was pressed against – wall, ground, balcony, stone? There was only Fili and heat and love and _Fili_.

He gripped Fili's golden mane and didn't let go.

"Do you see it now?" he whispered some time later when they were forced to breathe, although he made a point of breathing the same air as Fili.

Fili chuckled, apparently with the same intention as him, and answered with their lips brushing. "Hm… I guess you'll have to show me more."

"I don't mind that." Oh, no. Feeling the smirk in his brother's lips, Kili had every intention of showing again and again and again.

"And you _can_ tell mother to stop looking for a bride. I have the one I want right here."

The undertones of possessiveness in Fili's voice made him tremble. Kili opened his eyes to see his world in his brother's face and he vowed to never let anything come between them. Was this even real?

"Let's go to our room, so you can show me how much you want me." He whispered, still a bit in awe of the situation. Would his brother want to go all the way?

The shiver that ran through Fili's body was more than enough answer and Kili shivered in return. They kissed again, gripped each other for life, and when he felt a hand slipping beneath his tunic he knew they would never make it to the bedroom that night. Not the first time, anyway.

Somehow, despite all the danger of being caught, Kili didn't mind. An image of everyone in the Mountain knowing whom Fili belonged to came to his mind and he _liked_ the idea. Might as well get rid of all possible brides and contestants all at once. He would defend his territory, especially now that he knew the territory wanted to be defended. The gates to their private little kingdom were now officially closed.

**Xxx**

**Sorry about this, so pointless. Just couldn't resist writing something!**

**Thank you for reading!**


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